


The Keepsake Journals

by creameii



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Multi, Multi-shipping, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, bede and reader have major beef, dealing with different forms of loss, gloria/victor don't live in postwick so bede is unchecked and hop is lonely, pokemon-death (mentioned), reader does not know this, reader has a stupidly strong OP pokemon, reader is having a hard time emotionally, reader/multiple - Freeform, unintentional neglect of a child, very awkward social interactions, when I first had the idea i did have an end-game ship in mind but uh, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26421310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creameii/pseuds/creameii
Summary: You had nothing left but to chase the footsteps of your Grandmother, using the old journals and diaries she once kept to analogue her adventures, in an attempt to learn more about her after her passing. After you and your Pokémon get separated, you find yourself stuck traveling in Galar on your own adventure as you search high-and-low for your long-time friend. Luckily, the people are nice-enough, to lend a helping-hand or two.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Reader, Reader / Multi, Rurina | Nessa/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	1. Whirlwind

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I don't write fanfiction all that often, but quarantine just reminded me about how much I love the pokemon world and stories, and after reading a few other astounding fics on ao3 I got inspired to start writing. My friends have spent the past few weeks dealing with me spamming the groupchat with thoughts and ideas, and I finally decided to just sit down, plan it out, and start writing. Please note, I'm, uh, admittedly kinda...combining multiple different parts from the shows, games, movies, and comics and mushing them together. Also including my own little bits of world-building and ideas.

_ It was a curious little thing, a spiral shell, with jagged spikes sticking from it. It reminded you of the spikes that decorated the backs of the corsola you had seen in your friend's picture-book. The shell curved inward, looping on itself once, twice -- and held tightly to the object at the center, a playfully pink gem, small, round, and all around nondescript. It was a bleached beige, the color faded with years of age. In the creases of the spirals and divots that textured the protruding spikes, there was a thick layer of dust that left a grimy residue on the tips of your fingers. _

_ To your young eyes, it looked almost ancient-- Reminiscent of the fossilized bones that also graced the picture books and completely out of place from where it was sitting innocuously atop a battered cardboard box. _

_ "Grandma," You called out, hands still turning the shell slowly this way and that as you continued to study it. Never had you seen something like it before, for as many years as you had lived with your grandmother, she never struck you as the type to keep things just for being pretty.  _

_ Grandmother hummed, deep in the back of her throat, a sign she had heard you, though she had yet to look away from the box she was carefully maneuvering through. _

_ "What is this shell?" You asked, scooting forward as you held out your hand, the shell still balanced in your palms. In the moment that it took for your grandmother to pull her attention away from the box she was rifling through, the matte surface of the shell reflected no shine, despite the lantern your grandmother was holding to aid in her search. _

_ She was quiet, staring at the artifact you held with no small amount of recognition, though she made no motion to speak. Silence stretched between the two of you, her caught in the past, and you stuck in the moment, hesitant to speak again. _

_ Her quiet exhale broke that heavy silence, and you shifted. Long, knobbed fingers reached out, gently taking the shell from your hand, and you watched as your grandmother handled the object much the same way you had moments ago. _

_ "The spike shell badge, hmm?" Your grandmother hummed, continuing to stare deep into the spiral of the shell. You shifted, hoping that the small movement would prompt her to continue. What was the spike shell badge? Why did she have it? Where was it from--you had never heard or read of anything that had mentioned that name before. _

_ Another shift, another desperate internal plea that your grandmother would regale you with anything. Anything at all. _

_ But your grandmother ignored your twitching, giving the shell one last glimpse as she closed it into the wooden chest she had been shifting through, and stood with a heavy groan. You could hear the creaking of her bones as she stood, hunched as though the world was weighing her down and ushered you out of the attic, locking it behind her as she followed you down. _

* * *

Frigid wind stung your eyes, the fur of your coat did not protect the fragile skin around your nose and forehead and you had forgotten to grab your scarf as you waited in the treeline. Iccirus City was close to freezing over solid this time of year, and though you didn't want to freeze with it, the hope that your friend would stop by today was pushing you to wait another minute longer, just another minute.

Yet, the sun began to rise higher on the horizon, soon the citizens would be waking up, and you didn't want that icy gym leader, Brycen, catching wind of you hovering at the edge of the forest again. The last time had sparked a nasty argument between you and your grandmother, and you did not want to suffer through another few days of stony silence.

…It was passed the time you would have met with your friend, too.

So you did what you usually did, and resigned yourself to the track through the wood and snow.

The cluster of vanillite that lived in the woods between the city and your cabin ducked into patches of snow as you passed, though you paid them no mind. The worst to come through the area in the past few years were a few cryogonal that had been blown in by an abnormally large blizzard. Luckily, no cubchus had ever taken to favor the spot, so you never had to fear the possibility of a beartic showing up and eating you or your grandmother. Though, if it came to it, you felt as though you had little to offer in ways of protection with your own two hands.

You had no pokemon of your own. And that was fine.

The Zorua that lived in the cabin with your family was your grandmother's, though fond of you, you didn't think he would willingly leave her side to accompany you unless she gave him the direct order.

But that was fair, you supposed, as he wasn't your pokemon.

_ 'Though _ ,' you thought wryly as the cabin came into view, ' _ by all accounts I'm more likely to fight a beartic in his defense than he would in mine.' _ It had been several years since you were 12 when your caregiver returned from getting her outing, touting the small black trickster pokemon within the stuffed cloth bags of non perishables and necessities.

It had come as a surprise to you then, as your grandmother had also told you of the risks that came with raising pokemon. You had thought that maybe the little pokemon was in need of a meal, and would go on its merry way after a few days. And yet, it had continued to stay, lounging in the comfort of the warm cabin with the two of you. Your grandmother allowed it, and once or twice, you had even returned from the woods to find the trickster curled on your grandmother's lap as she stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts you were sure.

As the cabin came into view, the chill that came from the shade of the snow-laden evergreens began to lessen as you neared the clearing. Blinking away some of the frost that gathered on your eyelashes, you ducked your head further into the warmth of your coat, hoping to protect your lips from chapping further from the bite of the wind as you picked up your pace. Crunches of your boots echoed with your heavy steps through the still woods as you finally made it to the wooden door. 

Like a warm hug, the heat from the fireplace enveloped you, and a small droplet of water dripped from your eyelashes, and traced down the curve of your cheek as you stumbled to shake the ice off your boots, before leaning to untie them.

It was as you were hanging your coat up that you heard your grandmother begin to cough. Slowly, at first, as though she were simply clearing her throat. When you stepped further into the living room, sock clad feet brushing against the plush rug on the floor, her coughing grew worse.

She was settled in the rocking chair, near to the fire, with a zebstrike patterned blanket thrown across her lap. Willowy and frail with age, she hunched forward, body shaking as she continued to cough.

You immediately set over to assist her, but found yourself hesitating briefly in-front of her, overcome with a sudden child-like anxiety.

She…she was coughing a lot, she wasn't getting sick was she? Did the fire not reach her room last night? Should you…

"Grandma? Are you okay?" Voice quiet, and a bit more timid than you would have liked, you crouched, and went to place a hand on a thin, thin shoulder. Matte grey hair spilled from its bun and across your hand, and the years spent in the high altitude, cold environment had left the texture of her hair much, much drier and thinner than yours.

Your grandmother waved a hand, and you sat back into a squat at the motion, rear touching your heels. After another moment of breathless coughs, she took a deep breath and steadied herself, leveling gunmetal grey eyes at you. You tried for a small smile, but it came out wobbly, and your eyes felt misty. She zeroed in on it and huffed, but there was no heat behind it.

"I'm fine," Her voice was creaky, and she cleared her throat once more before continuing, "It's nothing a cup of Roserade tea and honey won't fix. If you would, please."

You nodded eagerly, and took off towards the small kitchenette, happy to be able to do something that would help -- even if it was something as simple as fetching a cup of tea.

It was probably a dry throat. The air had been especially crisp and nippy the past few days.

You debated on the merits of heating the kettle quicker over the fireplace than the stove, instead choosing to go with the stove. It would take a few minutes longer, as the kettle had already been emptied from the time you had left to now.

Though, if it wasn't, and she was coming down with something you didn't want her to have to travel by herself to the pokemart….however, you knew she'd be against you going by yourself, or even with her.

The Roserade tea was on the back of the shelf above the spices. A moment of struggling to simply reach proved useless, and you chanced a glance over your shoulder. Your grandmother wasn't paying any attention to your efforts in the kitchen, as her gaze once more faced out the window. It looked like it was starting to snow again.

You hiked a leg onto the counter to give yourself a quick boost to grab the tea. The box was oddly lighter than you remembered. Peeking inside, there were maybe enough leaves for maybe four more servings, if you were frugal. Which, your grandmother usually was with this brand of tea.

The kettle whistled, and you spooned the honey into the tea. The mix of floral notes were strong. It was comforting, too, as you knew the association you had to it with your grandmother was so strong. It perked her up, as you walked in, carefully balancing the cup, as you had filled it a tad higher than you normally would have. You told her as much, as you passed her the drink. Her hands brushed against yours, you could feel the callouses that graced her fingertips against the back of your hands. They were colder than normal, and you hoped the head from the cup wouldn't cause them to swell.

You settled beside her chair in front of the fire after you returned to the kitchen for your own cup of tea, a blend of tea leaves with dried oran, roseli, and magost berries. 

It was quiet, save for the soft pants from Zorua where he laid curled next to the window, and the occasional clearing of the throat from your grandmother.

A hand settled itself on the top of your head, and you tensed, shooting a confused look at your grandmother. She didn't glance back at you, but stared deep into the mug of her tea. It didn't stop the hand from lightly patting the texture of your hair, and you looked down at your own mug as if to hide the upturned quirk of your lips.

This was nice.

_ "But," _ The thought came quick in the back of your mind as you looked down, wriggling your sock covered toes against the plush of the carpet, " _ Why do I feel  _ so sad?"

You blinked away another bout of misty eyes and let the feeling of your grandmother's affection soothe away the lump forming in your throat.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Castelia city is nothing like what you had expected.

Loud, bright, and filled with more people and pokemon than you had seen in all of the years you had spent living in the rural outskirts of Iccirus.

Plus, it was  _ hot _ . The heat of the sun was magnified by the glare of the multitude of windows from the many, many high-rises, and the dark asphalt of the roads was a heat-sink. It made your stomach heavy, and the culture shock paired poorly with the heat to have you feeling an utterly nauseous wreck.

It also smelled really, really bad.

That was a problem for some of the less populated alleyways, and you had found yourself quickly abandoning the idea of sticking to them to try to bypass the larger crowds-- You'd rather chance getting knocked around than that stench.

Zorua yipped from his place in your arms as you failed again to keep up with the speed of foot-traffic, and found yourself getting bumped around once more. You started to stutter out another apology, but found that the person had barely spared you an over-the-shoulder sneer before they continued.

It was all becoming a bit too much, and you desperately looked around for a spot to stop and think. A bench, anything to get you out of the crowd and somewhere you could gather yourself.

A breeze blew across your cheeks, salty-sea air cooled the flush that was rising up your neck and to your eyes, and you turned your head to face it. The threat of tears was mitigated for the moment and you swallowed as you ducked out of the crowd and onto the pier. It wasn't as dense, but there were still too many people around, so you continued forward, finding yourself down the stairs that led to the sandy area near the waterfront.

Walking in the sand while lugging your suitcase and backpack behind you sounded  _ worse _ than staying on the asphalt…but you couldn't just…just leave it unattended. 

Just an hour ago as you were leaving the pokemon center you had spent the night in, you witnessed an influential looking young woman had her bag snatched. It had left you feeling shame for your inaction, but you couldn't chase after the pokemon that had snatched her purse. Luckily, an arcanine-mounted Jenny had been nearby, and had rushed to assist the woman.

The suitcase was most of what you had left in your name, and the thought of losing it was going to burst the dam you were trying to control, so you kept a tight grip on the suitcase as you looked around.

Under the main walkway, you spotted a little hidden walkway. It was out of the way enough, and you quickly headed over towards it.

It didn't stink of rotten garbage, and it was significantly cooler than in the sun. The walls were concrete and as you continued aimlessly walking down the corridor, letting yourself cry to relieve the overwhelming build-up of frustration and fear. It was cathartic, to just bury your face into your Zorua's fur and let yourself sob, and you didn't have the eyes of pitying strangers on you to make you feel completely idiotic for crying in public. 

Zorua was silent in your arms as your sniffling trailed off and you lifted your face from his fur. He turned in your arms to nuzzle against your chest as you wiped at the remnant of wetness across your cheeks. It was your turn to provide silent support for him as you felt his tiny body quiver in grief against you. Continuing your walk, you spotted a staircase ahead, with light coming from it. A brief glance at your watch showed you still had three hours before you were to board your ship, so you could chance the time to continue exploring more on your walk. Castelia was big, bigger than you had ever known, but it was a well marked grid system, and you were easily able to find your way around.

You took the stairs up, and faltered in surprise at the sight that greeted you. It was…a park. You think it was a park at least. It wasn't very big, but there were blooming flowers and a few patches of tall grass in a circular pattern. Centered in the bullseye was a large pine tree, almost as large as the ones that grew in the mountains near your old home.

You noticed a man standing back to you, gazing up at the tree.

As if feeling your gaze on his back, he turned, shock visible on his features. You cringed slightly, hoping you hadn't scared him too much.

"Hello, sorry to sneak up on you," You called out, voice still nasal from your bout of tears a few minutes prior. You hoped your eyes were too red or puffy, yet.

He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar shyly, turning away from you for a brief moment to look at the tree once more.

"It's beautiful, isn't it," He started, and you nodded at him, keeping him in the corner of your vision as you continued to look around the small garden area.

"Yes, very. It- It reminds me of my home." You admitted, shifting Zorua in your arms, though it was lacking the wet chill of snow, it was close enough to make your heart thrum longingly in your chest.

"You know, this area was the very beginning for Castelia City. This tree's been here from the start. They started building around it and just didn't stop. And then, when they re-did the sewer system, the didn't want to cut it down, and left it as a respite for pokemon that found themselves in the city or the city sewers."

You had been walking around in part of the sewer systems? That was…that was really gross.

"Hah! Yeah, this is the old sewers, got repurposed as a way for the subway repairmen and sewer workers to get around quickly, and they actually take nice care of it--don't want to be walking around in muck all day if you can help it, right?" The man had heard your soft noise of disgust, probably saw the crinkle of your nose as you thought about it, and you were mortified that you had been so rude, but luckily he took no offense.

"Ah, thank you, I would have never known," It was…kind of a nice thought. You wouldn't have known about the history of this little spot in any other circumstances. It felt like you were in on a secret, and the area as a whole felt nice, familiar. You bid a small smile at the man, and walked away a little bit to sit near a patch of cute yellow flowers. The tree loomed high in the air, and you could hear the faint chirps of pidove from the branches. A few patches of grass rustled underneath the shade of the tree, and you saw a minccino regard you and Zorua briefly before scuttling up the trunk of the tree.

Zorua pulled his face from your shirt, pawing at your collar in the way you knew he was prone to do when he wanted a snack , and you relented, setting him down to spread across the grass so you could ruffle through your backpack. You pulled out a tulle bag that had a few pieces of candy in it, individually wrapped in a striking blue foil and a handful of oran berries you bought from the pokecenter you spent the night in.

Zorua yipped as you handed him a few of the berries, taking three for yourself, and settled in to nibble thoughtlessly at the bright blue berry.

There was a shuffle of the grass behind you, and you dropped your half eaten oran berry when you felt the brush of fur against your back. Zorua was still in front of you, ears perked in curiosity as you both looked down at the pokemon rubbing against you.

The little brown pokemon was smaller than Zorua, just as fluffy, with a ring of light fur around its neck.

"Wuh?" You tilted your head at it, casting a confused glance with your Zorua who tilted his head back at you.

The eevee cried out again at you, and butted its head against your leg, looking up at you with big sweet brown eyes. You bite your lip, before holding out the berry you had bitten into it. It huffed, happily, and pranced around you with the berry before settling in next to Zorua.

"Oh, you were hungry, huh…well, do you want another?" You asked it, feeling silly for talking to the wild pokemon, but…it was better than just sitting in silence with your own thoughts.

At the question both your Zorua and the eevee gave affirmative barks, and you smiled, handing them your two remaining berries, watching as they ate them. You even went as far to open the bag of candies, unwrapping the pieces from the blue tinfoil to hand them to the two pokemon. At the taste, the two let out respective yips and yowls at the taste, and the eevee took to jumping in joy, batting at Zorua and causing the fox to nip back playfully.

You smiled at their playfulness, happy to see Zorua having a bout of energy you hadn't seen from him in over a week, as you threw the remaining piece of candy into your mouth.

Only to gag at the taste as it immediately began dissolving and fizzing against your tongue -- it was DISGUSTING and foul and somehow despite the fizz had a greasy texture like the jar of spheal lard your grandmother made you slather across your face during the worst of the winters. Did those two actually like it? The way they pranced around after eating their candied certainly seemed so. You spit it out carefully into your hand, which caught the attention of Zorua who bounded over to look at you. ….You felt bad, but you didn’t want to waste the candy, so you held out your hand to offer the half eaten piece of candy to him. He gave you an unimpressed look, and--the little brat actually turned his nose up into the air.

The eevee, however, had no qualms about eating the piece from your hands, and you gave a smug look to Zorua as if to say  _ "See! He gets it! _ ", which was …admittedly probably not unimpressive as you wiped your slobber-covered hand onto the grass and flowers underneath you. While you were wiping, your hand brushed something hard underneath the stems of the flower patch, you dug your fingers into the soil, curious as to what you had felt, and pulled out...an overtly large seed. It was long, a pale green with faint stripes down the body of it. 

The odd part was that it didn't feel as soft as you would expect a seed to, feeling instead almost like a soft stone. Maybe you had found a rock? It was interesting to look at, too. So with a shrug you placed it into the front pocket of your backpack. It could be a little keepsake for your last day in Unova, at least, and the good memories that can grow from change. 

After the slobber and dirt residue was mostly off your hand, you glanced once more at your watch. An hour had passed…you still had two hours to get to the dock, and the respite had calmed you down enough that you felt you could handle the crowds and the wait in the sun properly. As you stood, the eevee stopped prancing around Zorua, and looked at you with those same big, heartbreaking eyes. You paused, unsure of why it was looking at you like that. You didn't have any more oran berries out.

"I had fun with you, thank you for introducing yourself. I'm sorry I don't have any more oran berries with me." You told it as you crouched back down. It yipped, and jumped at you like Zorua did when he wanted to be lifted, so, you obliged, and cradled it against you as you gave it a long hug.

Maybe that was what it wanted? A hug goodbye? You certainly enjoyed it.

You set it down, and it yipped again, more insistently this time. Zorua looked at you strangely, too, like it was trying to mimic the eevee's begging face. You took a step backwards, grabbing onto your suitcase. It took a step-forward, and leapt onto the top of your suitcase.

Oh.

You felt your eyes well with tears once more. 

It wanted to come with you and Zorua.

That’s…that's very kind of it…and though you didn't know if you could afford having two different pokemon…or if the ship would let you on with an extra passenger…you didn't want to leave it alone if it wanted to stay with you. It felt nice. Maybe, maybe you could even go to pokemart and get a pokeball for it, if it wanted. You could sell one of your pouches of star-dust, and you could...you could get it a nice luxury ball...or a heal ball...or maybe if they had them a friendship ball? The nuances and differences between some of the balls was lost on you, as since you had never had any pokemon of your own. Zorua himself didn’t even have a pokeball, as your grandmother forbade it the time you had mentioned how some of the people in town had them. 

You adjusted your backpack and picked Zorua up in your arms again, giving the two of them a wobbly smile as you took the handle of the suitcase in your hands again.

"I'd love to have you stay with me." You told it, as you started the long trek back down the tunnel, considerably more lighthearted and optimistic than you had been but an hour ago, a new friend at your shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader's Grandmother is...complicated, but that's no excuse 
> 
> \----  
> Reader is going to be spending a goood chunk of chapters Going Thru It, which is weird because when I first had the idea I wanted it to be a super fun, feel good adventure fic, but when I was planning it it just...kept running away from me. So I just let it happen, and I'm having a fun time exploring it.  
> I have a tentative team lined up for Reader -- but it'll probably be a few chapters before they decide to add onto a team.


	2. Transform

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader's thoughts continue

_ The anger your grandmother carried with her when she came home that evening was the worse you had seen in over a year. It was not a fiery, visible anger like some had, nor was it a loud, physical anger, but a cold, frigid simmer. You could tell from the tenseness she carried in her shoulders, the clench of her jaw, and the steely, flinty look that marked itself in her icy-grey eyes. You stayed still in your spot on the floor near the bookshelf, fantasy book propped open in front of you as you read-- far enough from the fire you didn't have to worry about kicking your legs up and down in a childish manner as you sighed over the adventure brave protagonists. _

_ Wide-eyed, you watched as she began to pace -- murmuring lowly under her breath-- boots still on and tracking wet marks across the floor. _

_ "Crook of a man- con a man- an absolute - a garbodor wouldn't even fancy him for a meal-" She continued, the frigid rage in her voice had you anxiously closing your book--foregoing your bookmark, and slowly pushing yourself up onto your knees. As you did so, Zorua jumped from where he had been curled in the small of your back and skittered into the kitchen, leaving you alone in the face of your grandmother's odd behavior. _

_ "Grandma?" As much as you would have rather avoided having her attention on you when she was this worked up about something, her acting so unusually out of character had your stomach twisting into tight little knots. _

_ At your hesitant call she stopped the pacing and the muttering, and just…stood there for a moment. You could see her shoulders and her chest expanding as she took three deep breaths. After the third, she lowered herself into the chair, tossed her head back, and rubbed at the space between her eyebrows. Her hair spilled behind her, over the edge of the chair. The deep blue-black had begun to fade away several years ago, you recalled, and was now peppered with streaks of white and dull grey. You thought it looked pretty, like the snow on the rocky mountains during the day, and you had told her as the thought entered your mind. It had visibly caught her off guard, but earned you a soft smile and head pat, nevertheless. _

_ Now, as she slumped against the chair, her frame back-lit against the fire, body holding none of the rigid posture you associated with her, you thought she looked…old…and tired. Worn. You could see how her frown pulled at her jowls, and how her piercing hooded eyes had dark bags underneath them. _

_ The glass of water you nudged In her direction was taken with the hand that hand rubbed at her forehead, and she sipped through half of the glass before she began to speak. _

_ "People and pokemon…." She started, and you leaned forward in anticipation. Her words had a tendency to fall few and far in-between, and so you had grown to appreciate when she broke her contemplative silence. "People and pokemon…are not playthings. Remember that. Remember that for as much as people and pokemon are drawn to each-other, that pokemon are alive. Remember that people are alive, too, and remember that when you choose your battles." _

_ You nodded. Of course they were. Zorua constantly reminded you when he was hungry, or when he had to use the bathroom, or when he was feeling playful. He was alive as much as you were alive. But...you didn’t fight with Zorua, he was your friend! _

_ Your grandmother gave you a look you couldn't decipher when you relayed your thoughts, and you had the feeling that maybe you weren't following along as well as you thought you were. The perceived failure had you stuttering, trying to keep the conversation going, it felt like you were so close to something. And yet.... She shook her head, the multicolored strands fluffing out around the hood of her coat as she shushed you, her hand trailing across your cheek in a short caress before she stood to properly take off her boots and coat.  _

* * *

The sight of the ferry makes you about as nervous as you had predicted, though you knew it couldn't be helped. Whether it’s the sheer size of the vessel and the fact that you would be on it for over 48 hours, or that it was the gateway to you leaving behind all you had ever known causing the trembles in your fingers is lost upon you. For right now, your most pressing manner was showing your id and passenger-card, boarding the ship, and getting settled without losing any of your documents, luggage, or pokemon into the water below.

It was proving harder to do as you got closer and closer to the boarding ramp, as your nerves had your hands shaking so bad you had set Zorua down next to Eevee on the top of your suitcase and took to pushing in front of you--just to make sure you could see most of your items at one time. You even handed Zorua your ticket and Eevee your ID lanyard, both proudly holding them with the most concentrated looks you had seen (on your Zorua, atleast, you weren't quite sure for the Eevee, as even in the few hours since you had met him, he had been fairly bold).

The boarding ramp was solid underneath your feet, but the reverberating ringing of footfall on the metal was uneasy, but the ticket taker didn't seem nervous as you approached, so you tried to push it to the back of your mind.

"Good afternoon ma'am, ID and Ferry pass, please." He seemed jovial for having repeated the same statement as many times in the span of an hour. You gently took the items back from your pokemon, thanking them for the help, and handed both over to the man. He reviewed your documentation, and nodded once.

"You're all good to go, however, there is a one-walking pokemon per person rule in effect due to the number of occupants." You froze, looking over at your pokemon.

"Oh, yeah- yes, sir, I'll do that," You turned your backpack to the front, intent on trying to figure something out when Zorua let out a bark, and dove into your backpack. There was a puff…and when you reached back in you pulled out….a pokeball. Though it was heavy. And the texture under your thumb was furry, but you caught onto Zorua's plan and gave a smile to the man as you put it back in the backpack.

"Alright, good to go! Enjoy the ride!" He nodded you along, and you hurried to pick up Eevee off your suitcase and make your way onto the ship before anyone had the chance to think harder on the illusion your trickster pokemon was pulling.

The interior of the ship was large, but not grandiose in the way you imagined cruise ships were. With being mostly a transportation sea-faring ship, the vessel boasted a large common area, which led to a walk around deck. Included in the lobby was an impressive line-up of vending machines, a handful of chain-restaurant kiosks, and the entrance to a seated restaurant where you could see servers bustling through the glass of the windows. A menu above one of the kiosks caught your attention, and you made a quick stop to pick up something to take to your sleeping chambers for you and your pokemon.

To save on space, there were only a few larger rooms available, mostly for the convenience of large families. For the individual, the ticket came with an assigned capsule bed, similar to those found in Nimbasa and Goldenrod, Johto (according to the pamphlet you picked up from the ship's lobby, as you hadn't stopped when you passed through Nimbasa and you weren't even entirely sure where the Johto region was).

After reading about their space-efficient benefits, you understood that the rooms that could be reserved with your tickets were, generally, going to be small rooms, but the reality of the situation conjured forth a delighted giggle.

You stood in-front of the wall that held one side of the floor's capsule spaces, packed comfortably but tightly in a double-tier. It reminded you of the stories you once read, where adventurers and their pokémon took to the stars, and traveled in space ships to discover freaky extra-terrestrial themed fantasy pokemon. To your delight, your capsule, marked with a matching number on your ticket, was even on the upper row.

On the opposite wall of the rooms, you found your locker to store your suitcase in-- glad to be done with hefting the weight around, even if it was just for a few nights. You were much more careful with your backpack and the meals, making sure not to jostle Zorua around too much as you crawled into your temporary room.

With the three of you, it was a little cramped, but cozy as your pokemon curled into you as you divided out the portions of your meal -- smoked poke-tail on a bed of grilled fruit and rice, sweet and savory. It wasn't the best place to eat, but you had found yourself enjoying the solitude and time away from the crowd.

While you found yourself tempted to leave your room to walk around the deck, you instead shuffled through your pack, movements stilted in the limited space of the capsule room. The cool silk of a ribbon brushed against the tip of your finger, and you followed it down to grasp onto the bulk of the journal. It was a smooth brown color, the leather of the journal soft and supple, the pages yellowed with age.

In your hands you held your grandmother's first trainer journey diary, with the first pages dating back well over seventy years. It was the first of roughly fifteen, from what you had found left in the attic, and it was the predominant reason you were leaving your home region of Unova.

Thumbing the pages, you flipped it open once more to the first page, lingering on the crisp, neat cursive of your grandmother's writing.

_ " March 20th, XXXX _

_ Day 1 _

_ Today Norma, Gale, and I met with Professor ----- who was working with Prima's pokemon while she was on the island --- during ----! At the end of last spring, Prima had said she had a surprise for us and today she finally got around to show it to us! She had brought -- --- back from the mainland and ---- --! We each got to pick one, I chose Phanpy--- she's so cute, and she matches the running shoes mom bought me, too. I told Gale that it was fate. Norma's new Smeargle basically chose her, it left a spear of pink paint running across her hair and face. Gale seemed happy with the Murkrow that was brought, so I don't feel too bad about him getting the last pick of the pokemon. They kinda match, too. _

_ Tomorrow, we're set to have a beginner battle under the supervision of Prima, after that Mom says she'll take me to the pokemart so I can get my trainer pack set together. She's even letting me go out to challenge the gyms, but I have to stay with Gale and Norma. Norma says that she's the most excited for Rudy's challenge, but I think I'm more excited to meet with Drake. He is very difficult, though, so I guess I should start thinking about what other pokemon I should add to my team….maybe a Natu? _

_ Rochelle " _

Despite having read this first entry what felt like countless times in the past three weeks, the sting of loss had yet to be tempered. Tears still welled in your eyes. It was a struggle to blink them back, and your sniffles alerted Zorua and Eevee to your emotions. More intimately aware of your loss, Zorua pushed even closer to you, burrowing under your arm and into your side as you rubbed viciously at your eyes. On your other side, Eevee, too, despite knowing you for less than a day, was empathetic to its new trainers woes, nestling against your body and pawing at your clothing.

A moment passed, and then another before you dropped your hands from your face to pet at your pokemon. The vision static that came from pressing against your eyes faded, too, as you went back to looking at the journal. You had read the entry so many times in the past month, but the shock had yet to fade. Reading the journals had opened your eyes to so many different things, so many worlds you had never considered, never known or thought to know.

You hadn't even known your grandmother's first name, and you had to discover it through a journal so old that some of the words were faded away. You had nothing in Unova, not after your grandmother passed, not after you stood waiting at the edge of the forest.

So, you were going to find out if you had family left out there, starting with going to Yambera on South Mandarin Island, where your grandmother grew up and began her pokemon adventure.

Another rummage through your backpack found you with a pack of tissues and a brand new journal, decorated with a pattern of stylized litwicks and chandelures. One therapeutic blow of the nose and pen click later, the sound of your capsule was filled with the sound of pen to paper for several hours into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a kudos and bookmarked this work! I appreciate it so much! I'm always slightly nervous to post because I've never considered myself much of a writer, but I'm having a lot of fun with writing this and its making me happy that other people are enjoying it, too!
> 
> As I'm typing I can't help but feel like a whole lot of nothing is happening while I'm trying to build the mystery behind reader's Grandmother -- especially since the story IS set to take place in Galar, but I'm also having a good time with the buildup. I wanted this chapter to be at least double the current length, but, this one also came a lot later than I had originally intended. Also, I am really just taking so many different parts to build this. Prima is based off of the old 4kids dub (since I'm basing so much of the Grandmother's past on the old shows from my childhood bc its got such a strong sense of nostalgia for me) but isn't intended to be Lorelei, more like a grandmother/great-aunt/etc.

**Author's Note:**

> Reader's Grandmother is...complicated, but that's no excuse 
> 
> \----  
> Reader is going to be spending a goood chunk of chapters Going Thru It, which is weird because when I first had the idea I wanted it to be a super fun, feel good adventure fic, but when I was planning it it just...kept running away from me. So I just let it happen, and I'm having a fun time exploring it.  
> I have a tentative team lined up for Reader -- but it'll probably be a few chapters before they decide to add onto a team.


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